Not applicable.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates, generally, to digital motion video and, more particularly, to improved methods for preparing, transmitting, and reconstructing a composite digital video image comprising motion video, animated video, and still video components.
2. Background Information
The popularity of the Internet is due in large part to the wide availability of graphical and multimedia information available over the World Wide Web (WWW). That is, it has become quite common for WWW sites to incorporate streaming video and other motion video formats into web pages. Unfortunately, this practice often results in unendurable download times. Despite recent advances in digital video compression techniques and the development of higher data rate modems (e.g., V.90, cable modems, etc.), the transmission of video files remains problematic.
In an effort to reduce bandwidth requirements, video images are often either cropped to an unsatisfactory size (e.g., xe2x80x9cthumbnailxe2x80x9d size) or implemented using an extremely low frame rate. This is the case even in applications where much of the displayed video includes background information.
Methods are therefore needed in order to overcome these and other limitations of the prior art. Specifically, systems and methods are needed for providing large, high-resolution motion video images over a network in a manner which conserves available bandwidth.
The present invention provides systems and methods which overcome the shortcomings of the prior art. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a plurality of video image components are prepared and transmitted over a network, whereupon the components are assembled into a composite digital video image. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the video image components comprise at least one motion video component and at least one still video component. In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the video image components further comprise at least one animated video component. In this way, multiple video image components may be efficiently transmitted and assembled to give the appearance of a single, high-quality video image.